OAKBANK, MB– Burton Roy Rush, known as Bud or Buddy to his friends, died suddenly late last month. He was 66.

Rush was a Manitoba-based owner-operator who drove for Armstrong Moving/United Van Lines for some 30 years without so much as a traffic ticket. Over his long-distance driving career, Rush piled up over six-million collision-free kilometres and was awarded the Provincial and National Driver of the Year award as well as the HighwayStar of the Year award, which Today’s Trucking’s staff had the honor to present Rush with at the 2009 ExpoCam truck show in Montreal.

Rush will be missed by his daughter Tracy Jane Jung (Dan), grand-daughter Abby, by his sisters and their families, Lee (David) Little, Becky (Dave) Henry, Bonnie (Pierre) Glawson, as well as his many friends in and around Oakbank.

At 19, Rush was named MVP for the St. James Canadian Hockey Team. He was also drafted by the Los Angeles Kings hockey club and went to their training camp in Barrie, Ontario, where he met some of his hockey idols. Unfortunately, his professional hockey career shortly ended because of a detected heart murmur.

Those who knew him say Rush would always help those who needed it and volunteered for many worthwhile causes such as the Springfield Volunteer Fire Department, grooming the skidoo trails, and driving the community “Chicken Bus”. He drove truck for over 40 years.

A tribute to Rush’s life was held in Oakbank on April 1, 2015, where all those who knew him shared stories and celebrated his life.